1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for enhancing packet service performance of a mobile communication terminal and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for enhancing packet service performance of a mobile communication terminal by varying a priority level of a packet service task according to a reference value such that a service required for real time processing in a communication network using the mobile communication terminal is not affected.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, mobile communication terminals supporting a third-generation communication network may provide a multimedia stream, such as a VOD (Video On Demand), or a multimedia message service using a packet service. A picture call communication service has been generalized and is currently used. In addition, a concurrent service capable of transmitting information data while performing a voice communication may also be available.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conceptual view of a hierarchical structure for processing a packet service in a mobile communication terminal supporting the general third-generation communication network. The third-generation mobile communication terminal 1 for providing a packet service including a multimedia stream includes an embedded application 10 called a TE (Terminal Equipment) and a communication protocol unit 20.
The application 10 is a function for processing a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol)/PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) stack, and may include a user interface. The application 10 is an upper application adopted for the mobile communication terminal 1, which supports a packet service and an Internet communication protocol to transmit and receive various packet data to and from a user and provide a user interface. The communication protocol unit 20 includes a protocol part (TCP/UDP, IP, PPP) 22 for processing an actual packet service and a socket API (Application Program Interface) 21 for enabling the protocol part 22 to interface with the application 10.
The mobile communication terminal 1 has an operating system for processing tasks internally in order to support various services. In the operating system, priority levels are assigned to various tasks with the various tasks processed according to their priority level in order to implement multitasking within an overall system.
Generally, a priority level assigned to a task for processing a packet service in the mobile communication terminal 1 is relatively low, but higher than a task for processing a sleep mode or for processing a menu, which have the lowest priority levels. In other words, when the mobile communication terminal 1 does not perform any operation or processing, it can process a packet service.
Since a task for processing a packet service cannot be processed until other tasks with higher levels are processed, the processing of a packet service is frequently delayed and the packet service processing speed of the mobile communication terminal is slower than the data transmission speed provided by a communication network. Therefore, performance of the packet service is degraded.
For example, the packet service supported in a present third-generation communication network is a maximum 64 kbps uplink data rate and a 384 kbps downlink data rate. However, even if a radio access bearer (RAB) between a mobile communication terminal and a base station is set at 384 kbps, performance of the packet service cannot be implemented at the maximum speed if the priority level of the packet service task is too low.
One related art method of solving this problem is to set the priority level of a packet service task higher than that of other tasks affecting the performance of the packet service. However, other services may be affected, such as a voice service and a picture phone service implemented on a real time basis. Therefore, the performance of the packet service is enhanced such that the priority level of the packet service task is set higher only when the mobile communication terminal performs the packet service. When the packet service is terminated, the priority of the packet service task returns to its original priority level.
In the related art packet service method, when the mobile communication terminal processes the packet service, the performance can be enhanced without affecting other services. However, when at least one other service, such as voice service, and the packet service are simultaneously implemented such that two or more services are concurrently executed, raising the priority level of the packet service task inevitably affects the other services processed on a real time basis.
In one related art packet service method, since the packet service task, which does not need to be performed on a real time basis, has a very low priority level, performance of the packet service is degraded. In another related art packet service method, the priority level of the packet service task is raised, thereby affecting other services that are simultaneously processed on a real time basis.
Therefore, a method and apparatus is needed that enhances the performance of a packet service of a mobile communication terminal without affecting other services that are performed on a real time basis. The present invention meets these and other needs.